On the morning of New Year's Eve Professor Snape was sitting in his dungeon. They had agreed to meet outside the Leaky Cauldron at seven thirty that evening– the concert hall was within walking distance.

He was trying to remember why he had agreed to go with her – the wine? Dumbledore? Every time she was not around, it became a whole lot easier to think of reasons why this was a bad idea. Even if he had wanted to change his mind, it was too late now. Marya had already left – something about a dress at Aunt Hannah's, and that she would get ready there.

When Marya stepped on the sidewalk outside the Leaky Cauldron after apparating, he was already waiting. With amusement she noticed that he had managed to find Muggle clothing in which he still looked very much like himself. A black mandarin-collared shirt tucked into black trousers, with a duster-length black coat. It was not that much of a change from the usual robes or cloaks he wore.

Severus, on the other hand, was trying hard to hide his surprise when he spotted her. Usually, she was on the pleasant side of average as far as looks were concerned. Tonight, she looked positively pretty. Her hair was done up, with something sparkly holding the arrangement in place. A delicate golden chain with a single drop-shaped ruby set off her neck line, and the deep red evening dress she was wearing clung to her figure perfectly. A matching woolen wrap was slung across her shoulders. She looked like a lady.

He offered her his elbow, and she hooked her hand through it. 'You look lovely tonight' is what he wanted to say, but "You are very punctual," is what came out. "One tries," Marya answered with a grin.

The concert was wonderful. It was a piece of music Marya had always liked; the conductor was superb, and the orchestra performed admirably. Closing her eyes, Marya just allowed herself to drift away to the music. "Do you like it?" she whispered to her companion when the audience was clapping at the end of the second Suite. Severus could honestly tell her that he did. He had never experienced the sheer vibrating intensity of a full symphony orchestra before, the way you could feel the music deep down in the pit of your stomach. Dumbledore was right when he said that music had its own kind of magic.

When the performance ended, and the crowd erupted in a standing ovation, it was a bit like waking up from a deep dream. He had to blink a few times to get back to reality.

They left the concert hall quietly, not ready to talk much yet. "Do you want to go for a bit of a walk?" Marya asked. They strolled slowly down to the river, and leaned against the railing. Twinkling and shimmery, the lights of the city reflected in the water, casting a glow. Occasional fireworks were already going off, even though it was still well over an hour until midnight.

"Look, the moon is rising," Marya pointed to where an almost full moon was just starting to show over the roof tops. "It is going to be a beautiful night." They watched as the silvery orb rose slowly into the night sky.

"I missed the stars though when I lived in the city while working at St. Mungos. You don't see many stars with all the light around... At home, the stars are so bright you feel like you could dance on the Milky Way...." Marya said wistfully.

"Home?" Severus asked.

"Aunt Hannah's. She is my great-aunt, really. I love her to pieces. When my... parents died, she was the one who took me in. She couldn't be a lovelier person – she has the most wonderful laugh, and wears flowered aprons, and she smells like cookie dough and apple cider. We live in an ivy-covered cottage out in the country, and every year Aunt Hannah plants sunflowers out front. I haven't lived there full time for the last six years, but it is still home." Marya smiled at the memory. "How about you, where is home to you, Severus?"

"Hogwarts, I guess." He had a 'private, no trespassing' look on his face that would have put her off further questions had she been able to see it in the dim light from the lanterns.

"What about your family?" asked Marya.

"My mother died some time ago. My father and I are not... close," he answered shortly.

"I am sorry – what happened?"

"I really don't care to discuss it," he said sharply. He felt her shrink away a couple of inches at his harsh tone of voice. "I am sorry, I did not mean to intrude," she said quietly, formally.

"Shall we walk some more?" he asked, not knowing what else to say. She nodded her assent. Walking along the river, they passed a couple kissing along the bank, some boisterous teenagers on the way to yet another party, and a group of quite tipsy middle-aged couples carrying on noisily. One of the group (a balding man with a beer belly) was determined to press them into wearing little purple party hats to join in the fun. For a minute, Marya was afraid she would have to take drastic measures to keep the poor Muggle from being hexed into oblivion, but the black scowl on the potion master's face proved sufficient to finally scare him off. The incidence was enough to break the tense mood, though.

"I would have liked to have seen you with a purple party hat," Marya said with a giggle. "I bet you would," he answered with a smirk. They were silent for a minute. Then Severus spoke up, awkwardly. "I am sorry – I am not used to talking about my private life... "

"It's alright, really." It takes time to trust, Marya thought. At least he apologized. She moved back up close to him.

It was cold – not as cold as up north at Hogwarts, but still cold. As they stood next to each other watching the moon cast a ribbon of silver light on the Thames, he could feel her shiver. All of a sudden, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to wrap his arm around her shoulders, offering warmth. He did it without even thinking. As if she had been waiting for him to take the first step, she turned towards him, and her arms wrapped lightly around his waist. With a contented sigh, she rested her head against his chest. For a moment he stood stock still, afraid to breathe.

Gingerly, carefully, unreasonably afraid he would spook her, he brought his other arm around her back, completing the embrace. In response, she hugged him tighter, one hand running up his back, gently moving in small circles.

Later, he couldn't remember how long they stood there. Time seemed to stand still.

Suddenly, there were lights all over the sky; fireworks going off in brilliant colors. "It must be midnight. Happy New Year, Severus." Her face upturned, she smiled at him with shining eyes.

He looked down at her, and had the distinct impression that were he to kiss her, she would offer no objections. So why shouldn't he? Would it be so wrong to hold on to this bit of happiness a while longer? To enjoy tonight as much as he could?

Instead, he softly kissed her on the forehead. "Happy New Year, Marya." She looked up questioningly, surprised by the sadness in his voice. He offered no explanation.

Later that night, Severus sat on the edge of his bed, his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands. Time to face reality.

She doesn't know what I am, what I have done. When I took this mark, I gave up the right to have someone like her care for me. And, as unlikely as it seems, it looks like she is starting to care. It isn't fair to her. If she knew, she would never want to spend time with me. She deserves better. She deserves to know the truth.

In his head, he heard her voice again, behind the cot in Hogsmeade, the first time he had had his arm around her. Hoarse, filled with hate. ""Dark wizards, Death Eaters – god, I hate them...."

He would need to tell her. Soon.

A/N: Please read and review! Thanks for your encouragement. I am having fun with this, fluff though it may be :-), and you guys reading it makes it more fun!